The Flux
by Echoing Fantasy
Summary: Being the youngest Psychonaut in history isn't all sunshine and daisies. Especially not if your mind is a ticking time bomb. Post-game.
1. Chapter 1

_The Flux_

Chapter 1: Back To Whispering Rock

"Raz. Hey Raz, c'mon, it's time to wake up! We're almost there!"

Razputin "Raz" Aquato yawned, reaching up to push his goggles up from where they rested over his eyes. Previously blocked sunlight hit him in the face, making him groan as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. It had been a long ride back to Whispering Rock, and the young Psychonaut had decided to use the time to catch up on his rest – he knew without a doubt he would certainly need it.

"Okay okay, I'm up. Thanks Dogen," he said to the boy sitting beside him. It had been a year and a half since he had last seen the young blue boy with the tinfoil hat, and like everyone else on that bus Dogen Boole had grown up some. He now stood at the same height as Raz, with gangly limbs stuffed into a sweater vest and dark brown pants. The tin foil hat was now gone, allowing Raz to see the crop of neatly combed pale green hair he had. He seemed happier, although he was just as shy as before and stuttered a bit when nervous.

As if realizing the scrutiny he was under, Dogen smiled at him. "You okay, Raz? You were mumbling in your sleep. I kinda wanted to wake you up in case you were having a nightmare, but it seemed like you needed the rest…" His voice drifted off in embarrassment, evidently believing Raz would be upset. But the acrobat merely grinned.

"I kinda was there, to be truthful. But thanks for letting me sleep; you were right, I _did _need it. Heck, I still do." He yawned again, rolling his shoulders and neck to work the kinks out. Outside the bus, tall pine trees and a waving flag signaled the quickly-approaching Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp. He could already see peeks of bright yellow among the lower trees, showing the newest recruits had already arrived. The way the buses were scheduled, returning campers would be the last ones to show up, which was perfectly fine with Raz, as it meant he didn't have to sit through the boring speech Oleander delivered every year.

The bus began to descend from the mountain trail, and everyone began to collect their bags from either beneath or beside their seats, a sense of nervous excitement covering the bus. Raz snickered to himself. It surprised him that no matter how many times everyone came back, they still acted like nervous first timers. The only ones who were nervous was him – well, and what _should _have been one other, but she hadn't had time to come this year. His gaze slid to where Lili would have sat, if she had been with them.

_Lili…_

The bus beneath him suddenly jerked, throwing the campers into the seat in front of them. Startled, Raz looked out the window and found that they weren't in front of the Summer Camp yet – they were still coming down off the mountain. So why had they stopped?

"Hey, what's going on?"

"Why did we stop?"

"Is something wrong?"

Before their questions could be answered however, the bus shuddered again, and began to tip sideways, off the road and down towards the camp below. The kids began to all scream, forgetting their psychic abilities as raw terror and adrenaline took over. The bus fell off the cliff and plummeted, everything going hazy for a few seconds.

Raz had lived through all the excitement and drama and danger the year before, and the training used against the minds of those he invaded now kicked in, aiding him where it was failing in the others. Slamming his hands on the wall, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, reaching for that place deep inside his own mind that held his powers, and _pulled._

The bus stopped mid-air, jerked to a standstill by Raz's Levitation. Raz gritted his teeth and forced himself to focus as loud panting and terrified whimpers took over where screams had been, his fellow cadets still too terrified to do anything to help. _And once again, it's up to me. Why is it always me? _Sucking in another breath through his nose and letting it out slowly, he began to will the bus down towards the camp at a much slower speed, praying that his training would allow him to get within range of Sasha and Milla.

Luck was with him however, because Ford Cruller, deep below in the Psitanium Deposit, felt his descent before either Sasha or Milla. _**"Great galloping goldfish, boy! Just what sort of trouble have you managed to get yourself into this time?" **_The voice was projected right into his mind, rather than outside it like Ford would normally do, which told him that Ford was aware of the strain on his mind and was choosing to be careful.

"_Bus fell off the cliff, dunno why. Trying… to … get… Sasha… Milla…" _He forced himself to concentrate on the bus rather than the conversation, his knees beginning to shake with the force of the strain. Across the link, Ford made a sound.

"_**Let me handle that. They're in my range. They'll be with you lickity-split."**_

"_Good… can't… hold… longer…"_

Ford was as good as his word, because not a moment later two familiar energies brushed against his own, and the weight of the bus drained away as the two more powerful minds took the brunt of the weight. Raz collapsed to the floor, cold beyond belief. A quick look inside his own head showed he'd tapped nearly every reservoir of power he had into keeping the bus up. He barely had enough to create a ball out of. _Guess that's all I'm going to be doing for a while. _

Warm suddenly seeped over him like a blanket, phantom hands pressing themselves against his cheeks and forehead in careful consideration as the smell of masculine energy and cigarette smoke came through the link. _**"Razputin, are you alright? What happened? Is anyone hurt?" **_

"_I'm okay, Sasha. I drained myself nearly dry, but I'm alive. The bus just stopped all of a sudden and tipped over; the driver didn't tell us anything before it did. As to the state of everyone else…" _A quick look around revealed no blood or broken bones. _"I think several of them have wet themselves, but that's all."_

A heavy sigh. _**"Then Milla's fears are relieved. At least where the campers are concerned. You, on the other hand—"**_

"_Am fine, Sasha. I told you, I'm used to this. I've fought megalomaniacs, insane dentists and giant lungfish, for goodness' sake! If I can't handle a bus… well, that would be a sad turn of events indeed, now wouldn't it?"_

He got a sense of amusement from the other end. The bus touched down to the earth quietly, Raz sighing and picking himself up as it did. Around him, the rest were doing the same. _**"I suppose. But regardless, I want you to come to my lab first thing. You need rest and recuperation, and that is something I can provide."**_

"_I won't argue there." _ Sasha's territory in the woods had become something of a sanctuary to him whenever he'd hurt himself either physically or mentally, because it was the one place he could go and not be disturbed by anyone. Anyone that tried to drag him out was stopped by Sasha, who had become quite protective towards him in the short amount of time they'd known each other.

"Raz?"

"_Hm? Oh wait—_Uh, what's up?" Raz hurriedly snapped himself out of his mental link, turning to look at Elton, who was staring at him with wide eyes. The young man realized that practically every other camper had lined up behind him and was looking rather apprehensive at the idea of going outside.

"I-is… it really safe to go out? I mean…"

It took the acrobat a moment to realize what was going on, and when it did he couldn't help the flush of red that streaked across his face. He suddenly felt very humbled. "It's safe. I won't let anything happen to you guys. I'm sorry you had to go through that."

That got a smattering of smiles his way and a dent in the tension level. Raz let them out of the bus through a broken window, carefully ducking down and waiting until everyone was out before taking them the remaining way to the camp, where they were greeted and looked over by Sasha, Milla, Ford and Oleander before being taken to their separate bunks. Raz leaned tiredly against Sasha as the older man led him back towards the GPIC, the smoker glaring at anyone that got too close.

Never once did anyone look back and realize the driver of the bus was no longer there, and hadn't been for quite some time.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Picking Up Where We Left Off

"Hmm, vitals seem stable."

Raz resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Yes Sasha, that's generally what it means when someone tells you they're _okay. _You know, as in not bleeding all over the floor, or anything."

Sasha's lips twitched just slightly. "I suppose the fact that you are still coherent enough to use sarcasm should prove beyond a doubt that you are, as you say, 'fine'."

"See! I told you, you were just over—"

"But there is always a chance, and that is a chance I will not take. You will rest tonight, and we will scan your vitals tomorrow to determine how you are doing."

The young man huffed, dropping back into the plush seat with a hint of exasperation. Sasha seemed to understand, because he finally turned the machine off and gently began to unhook the wires from the young agent's chest and arms, folding the used tape over and tossing it into the garbage can beside his desk. "I know these tests make you impatient, Razputin, but I am not prepared to send you out to the field without knowing your status. Nor is Milla." The wires gone again, he sat beside the acrobat and took off his glasses, rubbing tired eyes. "You have no idea how much it work hurt Milla and I if something terrible were to befall you; especially if that occurrence could have been stopped beforehand."

Raz didn't reply, at least not verbally. But Sasha had the sense that the young man was wilting in his chair with embarrassment, aware of the facts he was stating with perfect honesty. "I still dunno how you guys can care so much. I mean, yeah, I'm one of you guys, but… I'm just a kid that got past the tests."

Sasha shook his head in amusement. Even after a year and a half, Raz was still stumped by their affections towards the boy. "Children who pass the tests do not receive the honor of becoming a Psychonaut, Razputin. It merely offers them up as _options _for agent-class later in life, if they choose to pursue that goal. You were given the badge because you demonstrated traits the others lacked; a willingness to save others despite risking your own life, the bravery to go to heights and lengths most others would not, and the ability to use quick thinking in the face of danger. You overcame obstacles few adults would choose to tackle, and you didn't let up once you had the truth in your hands. _That, _more than anything, is what makes you a Psychonaut. Not some badge that enables you to use your powers."

Raz had gone very red in the face now, and had pulled his knees close, his face save for his eyes hidden behind them. "You mean like today?" he asked, voice soft. Sasha nodded, smiling as he resisted the urge to ruffle the boy's hair.

"Yes. Exactly like today."

"Oh yeah, that reminds me, how's everyone else doing? Have they found out what caused the bus to do what it did? And what about the driver, is he okay?" Truth be told, Razputin had thought about the driver when the bus had first started tipping, but the thought had been erased by the need to get his fellow cadets to safety and contact Sasha and Milla. In the excitement, he had forgotten about it.

Sasha pulled out a cigarette and put it between his lips, but did not light it. "According to Milla, the campers are recovering well. A little R&R in the TV room has put them all at ease; at least those that didn't fall asleep during Morceau's speech." He paused as Raz snickered. "As for the subject of knowing what caused the problem in the first place, I'm afraid to say we've yet to know."

"…And the driver?"

Sasha went quiet suddenly, almost completely still as he stared at the nearest wall with an almost laser-like gaze. Raz felt a shiver run up his spine; the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. His eyes widened as the familiar feeling of Bad News smacked him head on. "I-is… d-did he…?"

Sasha shook his head hurridly, already knowing where Raz's mind was taking him. "No, no, he didn't die. But it's a curious thing, you see, and the information is rather… classified for the moment." The tone was no longer teasing, but soft and void of emotion.

This was not Sasha Raz was speaking to; it was Agent Nein. Any secret spoken here would be between agents, not friends. Reading between the lines, Raz sat up straight and blanked his own mind, replying carefully, "The status of the bus driver, Agent Nein?"

The cigarette was lit and sucked on. The answer came with Nein's first lungful of smoke. "According to our intelligence, he is gone. There were no footprints leading to or from the bus, and the only broken window was the one you broke to escape. He was not with you, and he wasn't with us. The only logical conclusion that can be drawn from these facts—"

"—is that he was never there to begin with," Raz murmured.

Nein nodded. For a long while after that, neither spoke, each dwelling inside their own thoughts. Razputin flexed his scarred fingers and remembered how innocently his last fight – _war _– had started. A little bit of danger here, a bit of paranoia there… He closed his eyes and breathed deep, centering his mind and steadying his resolve. He felt Sasha beside him, locking gazes with him from within his own mental core, like two allies standing across a campfire.

"_**Razputin. What are you thinking about?"**_

"…_Back then, when I was in my final fight with… Loboto, I asked myself that if I had to do this all over again, if I had to go back in time and start from the very beginning, would I do it."_

"_**And what was your answer?"**_

"_I told myself that… if there was someone in danger, if the camp needed saving… if a threat arrived on our doorstep again, and there was no one strong enough to stand up to it – then yes. I would be our shield, and stand between us and that threat. I would do it again, as many times as necessary, to keep this camp and its inhabitants safe." _He felt a flare of emotion wash over him, and his mind replayed the memory of that morning, when the campers in the bus had stared at him with such trusting eyes. They had trusted him to keep them safe. They had known his power and believed in it. That alone was enough to give him conviction, give him the strength necessary to protect them.

Sasha reached across the fire and touched his core gently. _**"If such a dark day comes again to Whispering Rock, know that you will not be the only one to stand on the front lines. Not again. We will not sacrifice one to save all. We will fight with you, and shield you like you shield them." **_The words were raw; the power behind them almost frightening in its intensity. It was because they were true that they held such power, and Raz knew without a doubt that if he was challenged by a madman again, Sasha would be the first to stand beside him, the first to merge minds and offer strength.

And knowing that… it was like a heady drug that washed away the last of his worries. He pressed his forehead against Sasha's arm and let the link between them tighten. They were brothers-in-arms now, and together with the other Psychonauts they would defend this camp until their very last breath. So long as the children were safe, nothing else mattered. If the children were safe, death was not scary. Sasha raised his arm up and let Raz move closer, wrapping the arm around him and taking comfort where he could get it. Sasha was not usually an emotional sort of man, but with Razputin nothing ever stayed normal for long, including his own frigid emotions. So Sasha let him cling and let a wave of peace wash over both of their minds, soothing frayed nerves.

Yet all good things had to come to an end eventually. With a grace unbefitting of someone his age, Ford climbed out of the tree trunk in the corner of the room, and jerked to a halt when he saw the position Raz and Sasha were in. "Whoa! Did I interrupt something?"

The two Psychonauts jerked back as if burnt, the bond between them snapping like a silk thread, the mental conversation falling silent. "Agent Cruller, kindly let me know when you're coming to pay me a visit instead of just leaping in whenever you feel," Sasha demanded, his tone sounding rather peeved. The old man cackled.

"Ah, but where's the fun in that? This way, it keeps you on your toes, makes you keep your guard up." While Sasha groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose his usual here-comes-a-headache fashion, Ford turned to Raz. "Good to see you in one piece, Razputin. How are you feeling?"

"Better. Not back up to full strength, but I'm getting there. What about you, sir?"

"Bah! I'm doing fine, don't need to worry about me. What we _do _need to worry about right now is finding out the mystery behind these recent events."

"Did the security cameras catch anything?" Sasha asked. Raz winced; not many were aware of the security cams hidden within the garbage cans and mounted in trees around the gate. Raz only knew of them because he had climbed those trees to reach the campsite during his first year.

Ford nodded, but there seemed to be some consideration behind it. "It did, but… it's odd." When the two Psychonauts exchanged glances, he waved them over to the tree stump. "Come see for yourselves."

Sasha raised a brow, but Raz wasted no time in diving headfirst into the open stump, landing into the seat with ease. Ford climbed in behind him, and after a moment Sasha joined them. Raz grinned at the duo as the computer began to speak.

"_Where would you like me to take you, Agent Cruller?"_

"Take me to Ford's – I mean, MY Sactuary," Raz grinned cheekily at the horrified look Sasha was throwing him while Cruller snickered behind his hand.

"_Yes noble Psychomaster!"_

And with that, they were off.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Observations Of the Classified Sort

The ride to Ford's Sanctuary was a quiet one, punctuated only by the screech of the wheels whenever they took a particularly sharp turn and Sasha's grumbling that Raz had used Ford's secret passageways more than that one time. Raz could practically feel Ford's amusement over the entire situation, and had to work hard to keep his own face from breaking into a grin. Sasha had enough headaches as it was, he didn't need any more – at least not for tonight.

At long last they drew to a stop beside a familiar-looking ladder; Raz jumped out and scaled it without much difficulty, careful to avoid the weak third rung that Ford had yet to get fixed. The hideout looked the same as the last time Raz had seen it, complete with rotating monitors and doors leading to the Observation Room, as well as the two Psi-Card machines down below. The teen made a mental note to pay those machines a visit before he left; he had been putting his Cobweb Duster to good use over the summer, and had a jar full of webs to show for it. He also had a few Psi-Cards that needed a Core to complete them. Doubtlessly he'd find more in the coming days at Whispering Rock.

"Now, let's see here… aha, here it is!" While Raz had been off in his own thoughts, Ford and Sasha had moved ahead to one of the larger screens. Ford was in the middle of pushing a series of unknown buttons on a nearby keypad, causing the screen's color to go from white to dark blue. Intrigued, Raz drew closer.

"This monitors the front gates, where the anomaly was found. We have the cameras record in segments, each segment spanning three hours. Makes it easier to review, see? Now, this particular segment starts from the time Raz contacted me with the notice that the bus had fallen off the cliff. Watch _here," _Cruller pointed to a spot above one of the basketball hoops in the lot, and pushed _Play. _Raz watched with hawk-like eyes as a cloud of dust rose from the nearby trees, an effect of the bus hitting the dirt on the side of the mountain trail. Then the dust died off, and a faint pulse of blue energy was seen drifting above the trees – Raz's psychic trail. The blue began to fade to white rapidly (the drain on his powers) but was quickly joined by a dark red and acidic green energy that wrapped themselves firmly around the bus and dragged it to the ground.

It was when the dark red and green touched Raz's energy that he saw it; a quick "flash" on the basketball hoop. Raz blinked in shock. "What was that?"

Cruller stopped the tape. "Agent Nein? Care to explain what that was?"

Sasha seemed stunned, if the pause in his voice was anything to go by. "That… was a mid-teleportation."

Raz cocked his head, now thoroughly confused. "Mid-teleportation? I thought Teleportation only allowed someone to go from point A to B?"

"Normally yes," Cruller answered this time tapping his chin thoughtfully while he talked. "But it _is _possible to change directions en-route, thusly creating the anomaly known as mid-teleportation. The strain on the body is massive, which is why not many psychics do it. It also takes unbelievable mental strength."

"It's a dangerous trick, which is why we don't teach it here at Whispering Rock," Sasha picked up, over his shock. "If you aren't focusing correctly, you end up Splicing yourself, and well, it's rarely a pretty sight."

"Splicing?" Raz asked cautiously. Something about that term rubbed him the wrong way. Sasha nodded, clearly understanding his caution.

"Do you remember in _True Psychic Tales _Issue 113 when one of the new recruits attempted to show off to a girl he liked, and got his head trapped in an alternate dimension while his body was left behind?" When Raz nodded, Sasha grimaced. "That is an example of Splicing. However, normally it is not so… tame."

Raz easily read between the lines. "In other words, blood and organs everywhere?"

"Usually, yes. As I said before, it is the reason we don't teach Teleportation here at Whispering Rock."

"Good call," Raz muttered with a shudder. The idea of accidentally offing himself while trying to get from point A to B was horrifying. "But wait – you said there were no footprints leading from the scene of the bus crash, and there were no broken windows. So that flash-!"

"Was you're missing bus driver," Sasha answered with a firm nod. "But it still creates a problem, because you see we always have _non-psychics _drive you kids to and from the school, to better help you transition between the two worlds." He took a long drag of the cigarette before continuing in a harder, colder tone. "And there's more; the name the man went under was false, meaning that this was pre-meditated. He planned a way to get on that school bus with you children, which means he planned to send you all over the side of that cliff. This was no accident, Razputin, and our only saving grace was that you were there to prevent it."

"I'm just glad I was. Honestly, when the bus started off the cliff – I didn't think about how or why. I just knew I had to stop the bus from crashing and keep them all safe. I wasn't even thinking about saving my own self, I just needed to know that they would be alright when I finally let go of that thing." The realization that he could have _died _struck him with an unholy force then, and he flinched and tensed, biting his lower lip. Sasha didn't say anything, merely laying a hand on Raz's shoulder and squeezing. The small reminder of Sasha's earlier words calmed him somewhat.

Cruller watched the interactions with a small smile. Raz was a good boy, he thought, even if he sometimes tended to forget his own importance in the face of adversity. "As the facts currently stand, we have an unlisted psychic who posed as a bus driver under a false name and endangered the lives of no less than thirty young psychics, all of who were innocent. That in itself is an A-class psychic felony, which puts him at the top of the Most Wanted food chain right now. On top of that, this roll of tape shows he was inside our walls, which means he was able to slip past our psychic shields."

"We have shields on Whispering Rock?" Raz asked, looking up at Sasha. The Psychonaut nodded.

"The Psitanium deposit creates a natural barrier by itself; we merely strengthened and tempered it to our liking. The fact that he can get inside means he's been here before."

Raz felt a cold hand on the back of his neck. "You don't think—"

"No. Oleander has been kept on tight observations since that day. He is no longer hostile towards anyone."

The boy released a sigh, unknowingly relaxing further into Sasha's grip. "Good. I don't think I could handle it if he went crazy again."

"You aren't the only one," Cruller muttered, then straightened. "But back to the matter at hand, the fact that he is able to mid-teleport marks him as a powerful psychic; you can understand where I come from when I say the idea of a rogue psychic on these grounds is less than comforting. So, here's what I need you boys to do! Raz, you will be in charge of the older campers. They trust you enough to keep them safe, and will listen to you if push comes to shove. Milla will take care of the new kids. Sasha, I want you on recon around the GPC; those woods are filled with cougars and bears, but there are more than enough places for a rogue to hide if it suited him."

Both boy and man nodded. Raz sucked in a breath, rolling his shoulders and clenching his fists. It was the same movement he'd done every time he'd had to stand on a new battlefield. The knowledge that there could be a powerful threat on the grounds sent a wave of anger and protective need down his spine. He would keep his fellow campers safe, no matter the cost. He'd told Sasha and much, and he never broke his word once he made it.

"Is that all, Agent Cruller?" Raz found himself slipping back into his old role easily. The only difference now was that he was more mature, more experienced. Cruller smiled at him and nodded, reaching into his back pocket for something. Ah, the bacon.

"Just in case," he said. Raz nodded and tucked it away. "I expect regular reports. Sasha, you can give your reports from your GPC; Raz, you can use that bacon to give yours. I will be contacting Psychonaut Headquarters tonight, so you can both expect to see some extra agents with us within a week or so. Any questions?"

Both males shook their heads. Cruller smiled.

"Good. Agent Nein, Agent Aquato, dismissed!"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Between Memories and Nightmares

The walk from Sasha's lab back to the kid's cabins gave Razputin time to think about a lot of things. Normally, the threat of darkness would have had him running for the bunks, eager to get out of the way of the cougars and the bears. But he'd spent his first year beating enough of them up for them to recall his psychic energy and avoid him; plus, he kind of needed the time to himself. It wasn't that the conference with Ford and Sasha hadn't done anything; it had, but he needed time to absorb the new information and get his mind in a state where it could merge the requirements of this delicate job together.

The campers couldn't know there was a rogue among them. Raz knew if they even suspected it, or began to suspect, it might incite panic among them. They were too young, too inexperienced to handle that much panic right now, no matter how many badges they had. Raz wished he could say the same thing of himself, but he'd seen and done things they hadn't. Those events had hardened him, tempered him and made him resistant to the normal levels of fear and stress. It would have been poetic if it hadn't been so terrible.

He expected the campers would already be in their bunks, sound asleep after such a long day, but to his surprise the kids were still out. They were all gathered around a makeshift fire in the middle of the huts, sitting in one giant circle talking quietly. Raz smiled; he could see that between every older camper there were two or three new kids that were looking around shyly, trying to figure out how to handle what had happened. Watching them, it was all too easy to recall his own days in that setting, testing the waters with the other campers and meshing with the various personalities. It was still a shame none of them had been impressed by his entrance, but hey, they were kids.

As he shifted towards his old cabin that he had shared with Dogen, a voice suddenly called out to him in the darkness. "Raz!"

The loudness of the voice in the previously quiet area had his shoulders twitching with the urge to shift into a defensive form; he stubbornly resisted and turned on heel, walking towards the fire. Elton had been the one to call him and was currently watching him with all the others as he walked towards them. A few of the younger campers looked incredibly nervous suddenly, and even more than that they looked _scared. _

Raz knew it was because of the way he walked – when he had gone back home, his father had told him he had a predator's walk, silent and graceful. It wasn't something that he did with thought; it was more or less the way he was accustomed to walking in certain situations. When his emotions were leaning more towards the violent, tightly-leashed hell he held within him, he tended to prowl. When he was an airheaded camper like everyone else, he strolled along as if there was nothing wrong with the world. Right now he was weighed down with tension and a burning need to do _something. _To shoot a target, or kill a Censor, or _hunt down the rogue—_

A gentle hand on his shoulder stopped the start of violent thoughts. Breathing in deep through his nose, he let it out in a quiet huff. "Hey," he spoke, voice husky. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Hey, are you guys okay?"

Elton scooted over to make room for him beside the fire. "We're okay. What about you though, Raz? You've been gone an awfully long time."

"Yeah! That Nein guy dragged you off and we haven't seen you since! Where've you _been?_" Benny demanded from across the fire, arms thrown up to further emphasis the words.

Raz felt his lips quirk in a sort-of smile as he saw more than half the kids at the fire twitch at Sasha's name. It was cute how they still thought he was a monster. Stupid, but cute. "I've been with Sasha, yeah. He was checking me over, making sure I was still alive and all. You know, the usual routine."

"Speaking of which, like, what were you even _thinking, _Raz? Don't you know how much danger you put yourself in back there? It was, like, really stupid," And there was Elka's input, the blond looking oddly frazzled by her own statement. The older kids murmured in agreement, but Raz wasn't put off. He knew their concerns, but he also knew his duties.

"Would you have rather I let the bus drop?" He raised his hand and tilted his fingers just so, and saw the faces pale around the fire. "Because if I had, there would have been a lot more bodies. None of you would have survived." His stomach twisted at the thought.

Elka looked suitably nervous. "W-we might have survived—"

"Oh? Pray tell how, Elka? How were you supposed to survive when you were all so terrified you _couldn't recall your own psychic abilities?_ How were you supposed to save yourselves when all you could do was scream and prepare for the hit?" Raz crooned silkily, pointing out the flaw in her argument. The younger kids looked more than a little interested now, leaning in to the story with relish. "The only one who wasn't screaming was me; I'm also the only one with the suitable psychic capacity to hold the bus for more than second. If you had tried to do what I did, your brains would have been turned to mush; you would have been vegetables for your parents to collect."

Even Bobby seemed terrified now. Clearly he had illustrated the point well enough. He leaned back, uncertain of how he came to be leaning towards them. "I did what I did so that we wouldn't have to write to your parents and explain to them that they would have to collect their children's bodies. I also did it because my responsibility is to you all, and…"

"Because we're friends, right?"

Raz turned his head. Beside him, Elton was staring at him clearly, no fear or hatred in his gaze. Somehow, Raz knew Elton heard what he wasn't saying, the lines hidden beneath the sugar-coated words. The acrobat met the young sailor's eyes and nodded once, firmly. That earned him a strong smile and a nod back. Somehow, he had made the right choice.

For a while everyone was quiet, staring into the fire, lost in their own thoughts. Raz let himself drift in the silence, mind sinking into it like a warm bubble bath. His muscles were finally starting to ache; an after-effect of the draining on his psychic powers. Sasha had assured him they would come back by the end of the week, but until then Raz needed to be careful. Another reason this whole situation was making him antsy – if he got into trouble this time, he wouldn't be able to defend himself psychically. And while he was an acrobat, his muscles were not trained to fight.

"So Raz," Phoebe's voice cut the silence again, "how come Lili's not with you?"

And suddenly the silence was tense, everyone waiting for the boy across the flames to answer. Raz felt his hands dig into the earth behind him, his lips pressing themselves into a thin white line. "She's back with her father," The reminder hurt, but he wouldn't lie. "I'm going to assume you all at least _heard _what happened to Truman Zanotto?"

Heads around the fire bobbed; the news of Truman Zanotto's kidnapping had been across every psychic news station. Even non-psychics had followed the case closely; intrigued that such a powerful figurehead would be able to be snatched from his own home. Mostly though, those that had watched it had been there to criticize the usage of young cadets in such a dangerous environment. Razputin had been there; he recalled all-too clearly the harsh words directed towards Sasha and Milla for allowing him on the scene. It was one of the few moments he had ever felt truly terrified in his life, especially when the picketers stationed across the street had attempted to force Razputin away from the scene and hold him down.

Sasha had been furious; Milla upset. The entire situation would have spiraled out of control very quickly, especially since the local police force had been on the side of the picketers and tried to keep the two adults from taking Raz back. Fortunately for all involved, Raz had not been the only young cadet there, and one of the older, more experienced psychic children had been able to safely tug him away from the adults before launching a blistering speech at the police and the picketers that _this was what they did, _and unless they wanted to be arrested for interfering on official Psychonauts business as well as assaulting a Psychonaut and causing mental strain (it hadn't taken a genius to see how spooked Raz was) then they would leave them be and let them go.

The picketers hadn't been happy, grumbling and muttering about 'abused children' and 'brain-washing adults' but they hadn't been able to stop them since technically they had already crossed the political lines. The peace between psychics and non-psychics was tender at best; both parties knew that any attack on one or the other could be considered an act of war and bring both sides out in full force. Psychics still weren't fully understood or even liked in half of the world, but they were tolerated when trouble came calling. Truman's kidnapping had been once such case. Raz had stayed close to the older kids for the rest of the investigation, and they had been watchful for any more interlopers.

"After we found him, we got him to the hospital as fast as we could. The doctors said he was basically in a psychic coma; someone quite literally _raped his mind. _He did the only thing his mind would allow him to do and went into the coma. His mind is broken, but he's got one last defense up, and no one is willing to break it just to wake him up. So he's staying there until further notice, and Lili's staying with him."

"What about her mom? Couldn't she have stayed?"

"Can't afford the airfare. Apparently her dad had access to all the accounts except for one he set up after their first divorce. Lili said she blew most of the money of shopping excursions for clothing and what was 'in' at the time, so she can't come. Lili's forced to sit in her place until she can – which, if Lili knows her mom well enough, won't be anytime soon."

"That's harsh, bro," Chops hissed sympathetically. JT tipped his hat and whistled low.

"Sounds like one heck of a bull she's wranglin' pardner."

"Yeah, well with all that going on, Lili and I kinda thought it might be best if we stayed friends."

"What?!"

"Really?"

"Oh wow."

Raz smiled at their reactions. "Long-distance relationships are kind of hard to maintain anyway, especially given how often my family moves. When her dad gets out of the coma and things to back to being a bit normal, we might get back together, but as of this point it's a rather tall order."

"Not to mention you're only eleven now Raz. You've got your whole life ahead of you! Surely you want to do more than just get a girlfriend and go to camp for the next few years," Elton added in. Raz found himself nodding to that. It was true; he had a few goals he would like to get accomplished in the coming years, and it might have made things harder if he had a girlfriend. Plus, as Elton had pointed out, he was only eleven. Far too young to be worried about things like maintaining relationships or settling down.

No matter how often the thought had been on his mind in the recent days.

The rest of the hour was filled with talk of the other campers, and the introductions of the new kids. Raz found out that there was another Bobby-type bully among the new kids named Walker who apparently loved shoving bugs up people's noses and dangling them off high places. His two prime targets where a couple of shy brothers named Andrew and Avery – both very polite boys. Raz gave Walker the same look he had given to Laboto during their final fight and felt a sense of satisfaction when the boy quaked under his gaze and beat a hasty retreat to his new cabin (ironically he was sharing with Bobby and Benny).

It wasn't long after that that Milla put in an appearance, shocked that they were all up at such a late hour (it was twelve midnight) and shooing them all off to bed, holding Raz back just long enough to let him know that she had gotten Ford's message and would be assisting him in the coming days. Raz smiled and thanked her before heading off towards the cabin he shared with Elton and Dogen. He suddenly felt very tired.

The scent of the pines, the wind and even the bunk itself was familiar enough to soothe Raz's nerves with the first deep inhale. He pulled off his helmet and draped it over the bedpost in the corner of his bunk, running his fingers through it to get rid of the ugly hat hair before toeing off his shoes and shifting underneath the blankets. It seemed like his head had barely touched the pillow before his green eyes slid shut and he was fast asleep, dreaming of earlier days spent racing the other campers on his Levitation Ball in Milla's mind.

Outside, shadows continued to shift, hiding the form of a man that had been there the entire time the campers had talked, unstable blue eyes locked onto the prone form of one Razputin Aquato.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Where the Demons Hide

There came a time, Razputin knew, when fear stopped being a hindrance and started being helpful. For him, it was a passage of the mind that was previously unexplored, lying dormant until the time came for a long, hard fight, when the realization that _there was no other option _hit him. He remembered in those precious seconds after the first realization how frightened he had been, his heart pounding in his chest so hard he thought it might very well break his ribcage. The second time hard hardly been any better. The words had echoed in his head again, except this time a tiny voice had whispered back _that's okay. _And without even knowing what had been happening, his body had shifted, changing from _fearscared__**runaway **_to _acceptfightprotect__**standyourground**__. _When it came time to throw the first punch, he hadn't even thought about it. His body had gone into motion, and the fear had vanished, and continued to stay gone even now. In fact, the only time he felt fear anymore was after he came out of a fight and looked himself over and realized _I'm hurt, I'm bleeding, I need to get help. _

But even that was becoming a rarity; there were only so many fights you could walk into without getting hurt. Razputin had taken the pain, the fear and the adrenaline, and converted it all into sheer willpower and determination. Now whenever he went into a fight, he would do so with gritted teeth and clenched hands, angry eyes and curled toes. His body screamed _fight_**, **and his eyes said _prepared,_all the while his mind whispered _calm._It was the sort of training that all young Psychonauts should have had, should there ever be a day like that time that still felt far too close for his comfort, when the adults were taken out of the picture and the darkness slipped in like a snake to bite at the ankles of the children. But there wasn't, because the adults were too afraid of what might become of the children, of how scarred they might be when they walked off that battlefield for the first time.

Raz had walked that battlefield intimately, and had stepped off it more than once with scars. The difference between him and the other children that had been broken so easily was that those kids had had a _choice. _The adults had only been running them through a simulator that had held enough padding to keep anyone from getting killed. Raz had been out in the real world that held no padding and almost no chance of survival. The luxury of _choice _had been taken from him from the first moment Sasha had stepped foot outside his lab. Raz had been forced to survive using his own wits and abilities obtained through the minds of others and put them to use in the real world. The other children had not. He had started off with nothing, but by the time the dust had settled he had been armed to the teeth and more than ready to step back up onto the battlefield again. Even now he was ready, calmly walking among the masses while inside he prepared for whatever would come next.

And that was why when he woke up and found some of the older campers waiting for him outside his cabin, he didn't begrudge them. He understood the twitchiness, the need to have someone powerful enough to drive an enemy back near them. He sympathized with the fear, recalling how he had once felt it grip his lungs hard enough to drive his breath away and make his heart stop. So instead of asking the obvious (stupid) question of what they were doing there, he merely shrugged on his jacket and walked them all to the Main Lodge for breakfast.

Sasha, Milla and Oleander were already there at the staff table, drinking coffee and eating their breakfast as they talked to one another while the younger campers dug into their own food, talking over everyone else in the room. Raz smiled as heads turned at their arrival, some nudging others and pointing towards him and his followers. None of the older kids paid any attention to the younger ones; too busy examining the surroundings with cautious eyes and sticking close to Raz as he calmly picked up a plate and went to get his own food.

He was forced to leave his group when Sasha gestured him over; the look of pure _horror _he got from the older campers as they scampered off told him they'd be fine without him so long as they didn't have to deal with Sasha Nein. "Morning guys."

"Good morning darling. Did you sleep well?" Milla smiled at him cheerfully, reaching out to brush a bit of dust off his jacket. The motherly gesture made Raz's lips twitch into a smile.

"Pretty good. Anything new going on?"

Oleander muttered something around the sausage links he was currently shoving into his mouth; Sasha grimaced slightly and scooted away a little bit. "Psychonaut Headquarters has received Ford's notification and says they'll send a couple of agents our way once they get all the details sorted out. Naturally this means Milla and I will have to provide the information."

Raz cocked his head, recalling something Ford had told him back when he'd been trying to re-brain the kids. "It's because Ford's not 'all there' isn't it?"

"Sadly yes," Milla answered, her cheery nature vanishing in the face of the harsh facts of life. "We've tried many times to convince Mr. Zanotto that Ford would still be good for information, so long as he could stay near a decent Psitanium deposit, but…"

"No luck, huh?"

Her shoulders slumped. Raz understood her feelings well. Ford had been something of a mentor to him during his first year at Whispering Rock, teaching him the highs and lows of the psychic world and providing info on beasts and people he had never seen before. If not for him, Raz probably would have lost his mind, or even died. To hear that Headquarters wouldn't even give him a desk job annoyed him to no end. And speaking of Headquarters… "Hey, Truman Zanotto's still in the hospital, isn't he? So who's taking over in his place? I mean, they need his signature, or order or whatever to send people out, don't they?"

"Normally yes. But in events such as these a clause is put into effect that transfers all of his positional powers over to his right hand man, who is usually taught just as much about the position of Psychonaut Grandmaster as the actual Grandmaster himself. In this case, the position goes to his secretary Vieri Hanz."

"Hanz? Sounds like a vaguely threatening name. German?" Raz asked as he munched down an egg. Sasha shook his head.

"Polish, actually. And despite what his name sounds like, Vieri has always been more of a bookworm than anything. I went to training school alongside him as a cadet. He was the top of his class, but he also took the time to help others out where they needed it. His powers were never as strong as everyone else when it came to offensive tactics, but his defense abilities were top-notch; rarely to be underestimated. There was a game we used to play where we were split into two teams of offensive and defensive, and then told to capture the opponent's 'king' or leader of the team. Vieri was always on the defensive team, and he always won."

Raz whistled. "This guy sounds impressive. I don't suppose I'll ever get to meet him?"

"Perhaps. He may decide to come see us if all goes well with this rogue psychic. Vieri prefers to go to his soldiers to congratulate them, not the other way around."

"Sounds like a pretty good choice for leader."

Sasha's lips twitched a little. "You would hardly be the first to say so."

The meal concluded not long after that, with most of the students going off with their friends to talk or hang around a bit before the start of classes. Raz watched them, and couldn't help but feel a tad—

"Envious?"

He jumped as Sasha's voice jerked him out of his thoughts. His plate clean, the German was now smoking one of his cigarettes with his usual aloof look. "How did you know?"

"Because we have all felt the same, at one point or another. The higher you rise into the ranks, the more often you find yourself wondering if it's possible to go back in time to those carefree days." He took a drag, letting it out in a hiss of breath before sucking it back in and blowing it out again. "It hurts sometimes, recalling the time when we were blissful and ignorant. Experience and knowledge all come with a price, Razputin. Oftentimes, that price is usually something we took for granted, that we _chose _not to cherish." The man turned his head slightly, and Raz saw something dark and nameless running through Sasha's eyes. "Even the most talented of us are not exempt from its grasp."

_So Sasha's felt it too, then. _Somehow, knowing that made him feel a little better. Sasha always seemed so out of touch with everything, his appearance and mannerisms serving to further separate him from the "normal everday" people Raz dealt with. It made Sasha seem immortal in a sense, even if Raz knew he really wasn't, and was quite capable of bleeding and dying like everyone else around him. That thought led to darker speculation, something Raz wasn't ready to deal with so early in the morning. Shaking that off, he asked the older Psychonaut, "So, where do you guys want me this morning?"

Milla blinked. "What do you mean, darling?"

Raz spread his hands, as if offering her the information in the palm of his hand. "Well, my core still hasn't replenished right? Which means I can't really go to my classes, except maybe Coach Oleander's."

Oleander growled just a little. "Basic Braining is not some cheap class, son! It requires hard word, dedication, and a firm, unyielding mind. When I was in cadet, we never—"

Milla ignored Oleander's rambling, speaking over him. "Well darling, you do have a very good point, but we can't just let you wander around the campgrounds with nothing to do." She didn't add in the part about where doing such would leave him at the mercy of the rogue psychic that they were hunting.

"Yeah, I kinda figured you wouldn't want me doing that. I meant more along the lines of doing something non-psychic while the rest of the kids are doing their classes. Maybe cleaning, or helping around camp or something?"

Sasha hummed around his cigarette. "We'll have to see how your core is today, but assuming it's not in too bad of shape, you may accompany me on several small jobs I have within and around Whispering Rock. None of them will take very long, but it would give you something to do."

Raz grinned. If he knew Sasha like he did, there would also be a lesson about _something _in with those chores. "Sounds good."

"Then, after you have helped your fellow campers to their classes, come visit me and we'll get started."

"—and not _once _did we ever take such training for granted!" Oleander finished his spiel with vigor, slamming a fist down on the table. Sasha and Milla, clearly used to such behavior, had already levitated their and Raz's plates and drinks to avoid any catastrophe. Oleander's own empty plate was thrown to the floor and smashed, and Raz winced as the harpy-like shriek of a forgetful Ford echoed throughout the hall, vowing to beat whoever had just smashed the plate with his spatula.

Knowing a tactful retreat when he saw one, Raz slid out of his seat and gathered up his hat, bidding goodbye to Milla and Sasha before hastily removing himself and the older campers from the mess hall as Ford moved in to make good on his word, spatula held high.

* * *

Elton and Dogan were becoming fast friends. Raz realized this as he listened to them talk about their summer breaks, as well as in part about the crash.

"You think maybe it was an ambush of some kind?" Dogan asked, waddling just a bit behind the rest of the group. Raz kept a close ear on them, somewhat interested to hear the theories they came up with. Both Elton and Dogan had some rather stretchable imaginations, and given the right materials they could find reasons or excuses for almost anything. Of course, Raz couldn't exactly say his own imagination was lacking either, (he was after all, only a kid) but the difference was he based his assumptions on what was _probable _and what was _impossible. _"Maybe a UFO invasion, or, or…"

"A fish invasion," Elton murmured, looking a bit nervous now. Raz grimaced as he recalled Elton's unfortunate ability to talk to fish. "They could have gotten fed up – I'd better go talk to them again, make sure everything's okay." Before he could sprint away though, Raz gave a quick whistle to get his attention. His blue-grey eyes widened, and a flush crept over the bridge of his nose. "Oh, right. Sorry Raz."

"It's okay. But let's leave the fish until _after _the Coach and Milla get through with your brains, okay?"

Elton wilted a little. "But we might not have that much time! W-what if it really is an invasion? They could have us pinned by nightfall!"

Raz couldn't stop the smile that crept across his face as they stepped up to the winding platform leading to Coach Oleander's area. He stopped, the rest of the older campers running ahead, feeling bold enough to do so. "I'll tell you what, Elton. Sasha and I have to do some errands around camp. If you want, I'll go take a look for you, and make sure everything's okay."

"Would you?" Elton's eyes lit up with hope, and he bounced happily when Raz nodded. "Oh thank you Raz! I promise I'll repay you later on! C'mon Dogen, we don't want to be late!"

Raz watched the two of them hurry off after the rest of their class, shaking his head a bit. Really, even after a year, Elton was still the same he'd been before. "I was so sure he'd be one of the mature ones." Shrugging, Raz took his leave from the place, hurrying the GPC where Sasha was waiting. But as it turned out, he didn't even have to go that far; Sasha hailed him down as he was crossing the Lodge area, Levitating over after Raz yelled back. The young acrobat hurried over as the elder landed, matching his long strong with an easy trot. "So where are we going first?"

"We need to pay a visit to a certain cave near the lake. Ford informs me that a group of particularly nasty bears have taken up residence there during the winter, and have now taken to chasing and mauling anything that gets within telekinetic distance."

"Ah." He paused as the words finally reached him. "Wait, _bears? _As in the same bears I spent half my time running away from last year? Those bears?"

"I believe those would be the ones, yes."

"How exactly am I supposed to deal with something that size without my psychic powers? I'm fast, Sasha, but I'm not that fast."

"Calm yourself, Razputin, I have a means to this madness. I assure you, I would not have brought you if I didn't think you weren't capable of handling it. Besides, this is an opportunity to test a theory of mine concerning your psychic powers."

"Uh? What theory?" He nearly ran into the cave itself, so busy focusing on Sasha he didn't notice they were already there. "Oh, crud…"

Sasha laid a hand on his shoulder, drawing his attention back. "As I said, I have a plan. This requires you to work closer to me than you have done previously, but it also requires you to trust that I will not harm you or pry into your mind. Can you do that?"

Raz stiffened a little. The words alone made him feel curious, but also cautious. "That depends. Tell me what you're going to do first."

"Very well." Sasha crushed his cigarette beneath his heel. "As you know, each psychic has an energy reserve within his or her mind that gradually drains as we use our powers. Likewise, when we do not use them, it refills. Usually the more experienced a psychic is, the larger their reserves. What I want to attempt to do is use my powers, but through _you. _I will link with your mind, and you should be able to draw upon my reserves as if they were your own. From there, it is a simple matter of using your already-known abilities to take the bears out."

"But its only a theory." Raz's eyes narrowed a little as he recalled Sasha's earlier words. "So theoretically, what happens if this _doesn't _happen like you assume it does? Does my head explode?"

"Goodness no."

"Oh thank god."

"However, if this doesn't work out as I had hoped, it might create certain… problems."

Raz felt a chill go down his back. "Mind problems?"

Sasha grimaced just a little. "I know you have seen some of my memories during your early days, when I first taught you how to shoot. However, I have not seen your memories, and do not know your mind. If our link was to go wrong, I would be catapulted into your mind and forced to relive your memories up until your current age. It could result in loss of sanity, or even the accidental merging of memories."

Fear seized the Psychonaut's lungs; without meaning to he took a step back. "How fast would this end?"

Sasha's grimace became pronounced. "Given the intensity of your mind, and the world that I have seen… it would be quite a while."

He had fought giant Lungfish, madmen and Nightmares. Yet none of those things caused Raz to shake as he did now. He shut his eyes, hand coming up to grip over his heart. "I'm sorry Sasha, but… I just can't. I can trust you with a lot of things but… my mind... the things beyond those doors in my head are things I just _can't _share. I'm sorry." Part of him felt almost guilty for refusing Sasha this experiment, but the rest of him was too startled by the knowledge of what _might _happen to truly care.

Fortunately, Sasha was more than lenient. "Its fine, Razputin. It's perfectly understandable. I was merely offering it up as a different method to getting your powers back a little faster. I know you're eager—"

"Not that eager," Raz muttered with a shake of his head. Sasha snorted just a little.

"As you say. In that case however, I shall be the one doing the cave cleaning. I'll need you to watch my back while I rid us of these pests."

Raz pulled down his goggles and gave Sasha a thumbs up. "Now _that _I can do!"

It was almost ridiculously easy to flush the bears out; although they tried at one point to surround Sasha, Raz was quick to yell a warning and Sasha even quicker to strike them down. In the end, all fifteen bears fled with their butts sufficiently burned, yelping and crying as they went.

"Haha, take that _bears!" _Raz couldn't help but do a little jig as the last one disappeared from sight, Sasha shaking his head at the younger's antics. Sometimes he forgot that Raz was just an eleven year old boy.

"If you're done celebrating, I believe we have some other things to attend to?"

That was when Raz remembered Elton. "OH! Wait Sasha, there's something I need to check out first at the lake!"

"The lake?" One of his brows rose. "Whatever for?"

"Elton and Dogen were discussing what caused the bus accident, and Elton thinks the fish might be fixing to pull something." Raz shrugged. "It's not actually something to worry about, but I promised him I'd look in on it."

"Not actually something to worry about? Hmm…"

Uh-oh. Raz knew that sound. That was the _you clearly don't know what you're talking about _sound. Also known as the _I know something you don't know _sound. "What?"

"Well, it's just that given this lake's history, it truly wouldn't be so hard to believe something like that, in all actuality."

Raz felt his jaw drop a bit. "You're kidding."

"Have you forgotten, Razputin? This is Lake Oblongota we're talking about, not some freshwater paradise. There's no telling what will come out of these waters."

"Riiiight… remind me again why I made that promise to Elton?"

Sasha's amusement was clear. "Because you cherish the bonds you have with your friends, and because you care about those you trust. And, as I recall, because you made a promise to protect this camp and its inhabitants, no matter what."

Raz rolled his eyes. "Clearly I need to re-evaluate my lifestyle."

A gentle wave of psychic energy lightly pushed him down the ramp. "Go, you cheeky excuse for a Psychonaut. Check your fish so that we might get back to our chores for the day, and so I can drag you back to my lab for some proper tests."

"Geh, thanks for reminding me about those tests."

Sasha's only reply was another little push, this time a bit firmer. Raz took the hint and left, sprinting down the wooden planks to the beach, almost face planting into the sand in the process. He regained his balance and took a look around. The beach was oddly quiet today; no gulls around, and no dead fish washed up on shore. Frowning, Raz moved a bit closer to the water to look around. As he did so, he noticed an odd shadow moving in the water near the docks. He froze, heart hammering in his throat, muscles already tensing in preparation for a fight. Crouching down low, he carefully moved onto the docks, making sure to keep his footsteps light, so not to alert the creature of his presence.

The closer he got, the more he realized that the shape in question was pacing, for lack of a better word, in between the span of the two docks. Raz stopped just before he reached the edge and watched it move, trying to connect it to something he knew that live in the lake. It couldn't be Linda; last he'd heard Ford had her moved to a different area with better food sources and less pollution. And as far as he knew there were no other hulking Lungfish in Oblongota. Besides, it was too small to be one. Almost human shaped.

_Human-shaped…? Wait…_

"The rogue! Sas—!"

But Raz never got a chance to call for back-up, because at the sound of his voice, the shadow suddenly turned and barreled towards the docks, a hand lunging out of the water to seize Razputin's entire face and drag him into the water.

Agent Nein never heard a sound.


End file.
